It is the general policy of the Methacton School District that network services are to be used in a responsible, efficient, ethical, and legal manner in accordance with the mission of the Methacton School District. Users of the Methacton School District network must acknowledge their understanding of the general policy and guidelines as a condition of using the network. The term network refers to any internal or external use of computers at Methacton including the Internet, e-mail, on-line services and related equipment, media transport, storage devices and locations where network support equipment is housed.
2.Authority
The electronic information available to students and staff does not imply endorsement by the district of the content, nor does the district guarantee the accuracy of information received. The district shall not be responsible for any information that may be lost, damaged or unavailable when using the network or for any information that is retrieved via the Internet. The district shall not be responsible for any unauthorized charges or fees resulting from access to the Internet.
The district reserves the right to log network use and to monitor fileserver space utilization by district users, while respecting the privacy rights of both district users and outside users.
Use of district network services is a privilege, not a right. Failure to adhere to this policy and administrative procedures may result in suspension or revocation of network access. Willful or intentional misuse could lead to disciplinary action or criminal penalties under applicable state and federal law.
3.Delegation of Responsibility
The District shall make every effort to ensure that this resource is used responsibly by students and staff.
Administrators, teachers and staff have a professional responsibility to work together to help students develop the intellectual skills necessary to discriminate among information sources, to identify information appropriate to their age and developmental levels, and to evaluate and use the information to meet their educational goals.
Students and staff have the responsibility to respect and protect the rights of every other user in the district and on the internet.
The Superintendent or designee shall have the authority to determine what is inappropriate use.
The following individuals are entitled to use the network:
1.All district staff
2.All district students under the supervision of a staff member and/or parent/ guardian. 3. Others who request guest accounts from the Coordinator of Technology and Information Services. These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will be granted, if warranted, as needs and resources permit, for a limited time, following approval.
The building administrator shall have the authority to enforce this policy
20 U.S. C. Sec. 6777 47 U.S.C. Sec. 254
The Superintendent or designee shall be responsible for recommending technology and developing procedures used to determine whether the district’s computers are being used for purposes prohibited by law or for accessing sexually explicit materials. The procedures shall include but not be limited to:
1.Utilizing a technology protection measure that blocks or filters Internet access for minors and adults to certain visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, harmful to minors with respect to use by minors, or determined inappropriate for use by minors by the Board. 2. Monitoring online activities of minors.
4. Guidelines
Network accounts shall be used only by the authorized owner of the account for its approved purpose. All communications and information accessible via the network should be assumed to be private property and shall not be disclosed. Network user shall respect the privacy of other users on the system.
Prohibitions
Students and staff are expected to act in a responsible, ethical and legal manner in accordance with district policy, accepted rules of network etiquette, and federal and state law. Specifically, the following uses are prohibited:
1. Facilitating illegal activity.
2. Commercial or for-profit purpose.
3. Non-work or non-school related work.
4. Product advertisement or political lobbying.
SC 1303.1-A Pol. 249
18 PaCS 5903 18 PaCS 6312
18 PaCS 5903
5.Bullying/Cyberbullying.
6. Hate mail, discriminatory remarks, and offensive or inflammatory communication.
7. Unauthorized or illegal installation, distribution, reproduction, or use of copyrighted materials.
8. Access to obscene or pornographic material as defined in the law or child pornography as defined in the law.
9. Access by students and minors to material that is harmful to minors or is determined inappropriate for minors in accordance with Board policy.
10. Inappropriate language or profanity.
11. Transmission of material likely to be offensive, harmful to minors, or objectionable to recipients.
12. Intentional obtaining or modifying of files, passwords, and data belonging to other users.
13. Impersonation of another user, anonymity, and pseudonyms.
14. Fraudulent copying, communications, or modification of materials in violation of copyright laws.
15. Loading or using of unauthorized games, programs, files, or other electronic media.
16. Disruption of the work of other users.
17. Destruction, modification, abuse or unauthorized access to network hardware, software and files.
18. Quoting of personal communications in a public forum without the original author’s prior consent.
19. Violating the rights to privacy of students or employees of Methacton School District or others outside the school system.
20. Interference with or disruption of computer or network accounts, services or equipment of others, including, but not limited to, the promulgation of computer “worms” and “viruses”, the sending of electronic chain mail, and the inappropriate sending of “broadcast” messages to large numbers of individuals or hosts. In other words, the user may not hack the Network or others’ computers, whether by spyware designed to steal information, or viruses and worms or other hardware or software designed to damage computers, the network, or any component of the network, or strip information, or completely take over a person’s computer.
21. Unauthorized scanning of the network for security vulnerabilities.
22. Attempting to alter any district computing or networking components (including, but not limited to fileservers, bridges, routers, or hubs) without authorization or beyond one’s level of authorization.
23. Unauthorized wiringor wireless connections, including attempts to create unauthorized network connections, or any unauthorized extension or re-transmission of any computer or network services.
24. Connecting unauthorized hardware and devices to the network.
Security
System security is protected through the use of passwords. Failure to adequately protect or update passwords could result in unauthorized access to personal or district files. To protect the integrity of the system, the following guidelines shall be followed:
1. Employees and students shall not reveal their passwords to another individual.
2.Users are not to use a computer that has been logged in under another student’s or employee’s name.
3. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the network.
It is often necessary to access user accounts in order to perform routine maintenance and security tasks; system administrators have the right to access stored communication of user accounts for any reason in order to uphold the policy and to maintain the system. Network users have no privacy expectation in the contents of their personal files or any of their use of the district’s network. The district reserves the right to log and monitor network use and to monitor and allocate fileserver space.
Consequences For Inappropriate Use
The network user shall be responsible for damages to the equipment, systems, and software resulting from deliberate or willful acts. In addition, future access to district network resources may be limited or removed, as determined appropriate by district and building administration.
Illegal use of the network; intentional deletion or damage to files of data belonging to others; copyright violations; and theft of services will be reported to the appropriate legal authorities for possible prosecution.
General rules for behavior and communications apply when using the Internet, in addition to the stipulations of this policy. Loss of access and other disciplinary actions shall be consequences for inappropriate use.
Vandalism will result in cancellation of access privileges. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, Internet or other networks; this includes but is not limited to uploading or creating computer viruses.
P.L. 94-553 Sec. 107 Pol. 814
Copyright
The illegal use of copyrighted software by students and staff is prohibited. Any data uploaded to or downloaded from the network shall be subject to fair use guidelines. This applies not only to textual information, but proprietary program code and media content (music, video, graphic images, etc.).
Safety
To the greatest extent possible, users of the network will be protected from harassment and unwanted or unsolicited communication. Any network user who receives threatening or unwelcome communications shall report such immediately to a teacher or administrator. Network users shall not reveal personal information to other users on the network, including chat rooms, e-mail, Internet, etc.
Any district computer/server utilized by students and staff shall be equipped with Internet blocking/filtering software.
The Methacton School District reserves the right to restrict access to any Internet sites or functions it may deem inappropriate through software blocking or general policy. Specifically, the District operates and enforces technology protection measures(s) that monitor and track online activities on its computers used and accessible to adults and students so as to filter or block inappropriate matter on the Internet. Inappropriate matter includes visual, graphic, text and any other form of obscene, child pornography, or other material that is harmful to minors, hateful, illegal, defamatory, harassing and violent. Measures designed to restrict adults’ and minors’ access to material harmful to minors may be disabled to enable an adult to access bona fide research or for another lawful purpose.
Internet safety measures shall effective address the following:
1.Control of access by minors to matter harmful to minors on the Internet and World Wide Web
2.Safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications.
3. Prevention of unauthorized online access by minors, including “hacking” and other unlawful activities.
4. Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors.
5. Restriction of minors’ access to materials harmful to them.
Use Procedures
Students may use the Internet in instructional areas where there is a teacher or staff supervision. Teachers may allow students to use the Internet in the following ways:
1. Directed searches
Teachers may work directly with small groups of students or with an entire class. Internet access will be limited to those sites approved by the teacher and previewed in advance.
Use of directed searches does not require parental permission since the Internet sites will be screened in advance by the teacher. Teachers will be responsible for reviewing the Internet policy and procedures with students prior to any directed searches.
2. Independent Searches
Students shall only access material that is of educational value. Students wanting to use the Internet for independent educational searches must also meet the following criteria:
a. Students must have received Internet training where Internet safety, proper Internet behavior and Methacton’s Acceptable Use Policy have been discussed.
b. A listing of students not authorized to use the Internet will be distributed to all staff in a manner deemed appropriate by the administration.
c. Students are not presently issued Internet e-mail accounts. Educational use of the Internet e-mail can be accessed through the classroom teacher’s or specifically created group user account.
d. This policy will also be part of each school’s student-parent handbook. Student and parent signatures on the student-parent handbook’s signature page will signify acceptance with the district’s Acceptable Use of the Internet Policy. e. Students must have the signed form on file with their school.
P.L. 94-553 Sec. 107 P,L, 106-554 Sec. 1711,1721, 1732
PA Code Title 22 Sec. 403.1
References:
School Code – 24 P.S. Sec. 1303.1-A
Child Internet Protection Act – 24 P.S. Sec. 4601 et seq.
Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001 – 20 U.S.C. Sec. 6777
The district reserves the right to log network use and to monitor fileserver space utilization by district users, while respecting the privacy rights of both district users and outside users.
Use of district network services is a privilege, not a right. Failure to adhere to this policy and administrative procedures may result in suspension or revocation of network access. Willful or intentional misuse could lead to disciplinary action or criminal penalties under applicable state and federal law.
Administrators, teachers and staff have a professional responsibility to work together to help students develop the intellectual skills necessary to discriminate among information sources, to identify information appropriate to their age and developmental levels, and to evaluate and use the information to meet their educational goals.
Students and staff have the responsibility to respect and protect the rights of every other user in the district and on the internet.
The Superintendent or designee shall have the authority to determine what is inappropriate use.
1. All district staff
2. All district students under the supervision of a staff member and/or parent/ guardian.
3. Others who request guest accounts from the Coordinator of Technology and Information Services. These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will be granted, if warranted, as needs and resources permit, for a limited time, following approval.
The building administrator shall have the authority to enforce this policy
Sec. 6777
47 U.S.C.
Sec. 254
1. Utilizing a technology protection measure that blocks or filters Internet access for minors and adults to certain visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, harmful to minors with respect to use by minors, or determined inappropriate for use by minors by the Board.
2. Monitoring online activities of minors.
Prohibitions
Students and staff are expected to act in a responsible, ethical and legal manner in accordance with district policy, accepted rules of network etiquette, and federal and state law. Specifically, the following uses are prohibited:
1. Facilitating illegal activity.
2. Commercial or for-profit purpose.
3. Non-work or non-school related work.
4. Product advertisement or political lobbying.
Pol. 249
18 PaCS 5903
18 PaCS 6312
18 PaCS 5903
6. Hate mail, discriminatory remarks, and offensive or inflammatory communication.
7. Unauthorized or illegal installation, distribution, reproduction, or use of copyrighted materials.
8. Access to obscene or pornographic material as defined in the law or child pornography as defined in the law.
9. Access by students and minors to material that is harmful to minors or is determined inappropriate for minors in accordance with Board policy.
10. Inappropriate language or profanity.
11. Transmission of material likely to be offensive, harmful to minors, or objectionable to recipients.
12. Intentional obtaining or modifying of files, passwords, and data belonging to other users.
13. Impersonation of another user, anonymity, and pseudonyms.
14. Fraudulent copying, communications, or modification of materials in violation of copyright laws.
15. Loading or using of unauthorized games, programs, files, or other electronic media.
16. Disruption of the work of other users.
17. Destruction, modification, abuse or unauthorized access to network hardware, software and files.
18. Quoting of personal communications in a public forum without the original author’s prior consent.
19. Violating the rights to privacy of students or employees of Methacton School District or others outside the school system.
20. Interference with or disruption of computer or network accounts, services or equipment of others, including, but not limited to, the promulgation of computer “worms” and “viruses”, the sending of electronic chain mail, and the inappropriate sending of “broadcast” messages to large numbers of individuals or hosts. In other words, the user may not hack the Network or others’ computers, whether by spyware designed to steal information, or viruses and worms or other hardware or software designed to damage computers, the network, or any component of the network, or strip information, or completely take over a person’s computer.
21. Unauthorized scanning of the network for security vulnerabilities.
22. Attempting to alter any district computing or networking components (including, but not limited to fileservers, bridges, routers, or hubs) without authorization or beyond one’s level of authorization.
23. Unauthorized wiring or wireless connections, including attempts to create unauthorized network connections, or any unauthorized extension or re-transmission of any computer or network services.
24. Connecting unauthorized hardware and devices to the network.
Security
System security is protected through the use of passwords. Failure to adequately protect or update passwords could result in unauthorized access to personal or district files. To protect the integrity of the system, the following guidelines shall be followed:
1. Employees and students shall not reveal their passwords to another individual.
2. Users are not to use a computer that has been logged in under another student’s or employee’s name.
3. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the network.
It is often necessary to access user accounts in order to perform routine maintenance and security tasks; system administrators have the right to access stored communication of user accounts for any reason in order to uphold the policy and to maintain the system. Network users have no privacy expectation in the contents of their personal files or any of their use of the district’s network. The district reserves the right to log and monitor network use and to monitor and allocate fileserver space.
Consequences For Inappropriate Use
The network user shall be responsible for damages to the equipment, systems, and software resulting from deliberate or willful acts. In addition, future access to district network resources may be limited or removed, as determined appropriate by district and building administration.
Illegal use of the network; intentional deletion or damage to files of data belonging to others; copyright violations; and theft of services will be reported to the appropriate legal authorities for possible prosecution.
General rules for behavior and communications apply when using the Internet, in addition to the stipulations of this policy. Loss of access and other disciplinary actions shall be consequences for inappropriate use.
Vandalism will result in cancellation of access privileges. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, Internet or other networks; this includes but is not limited to uploading or creating computer viruses.
Sec. 107
Pol. 814
The illegal use of copyrighted software by students and staff is prohibited. Any data uploaded to or downloaded from the network shall be subject to fair use guidelines. This applies not only to textual information, but proprietary program code and media content (music, video, graphic images, etc.).
Safety
To the greatest extent possible, users of the network will be protected from harassment and unwanted or unsolicited communication. Any network user who receives threatening or unwelcome communications shall report such immediately to a teacher or administrator. Network users shall not reveal personal information to other users on the network, including chat rooms, e-mail, Internet, etc.
Any district computer/server utilized by students and staff shall be equipped with Internet blocking/filtering software.
The Methacton School District reserves the right to restrict access to any Internet sites or functions it may deem inappropriate through software blocking or general policy. Specifically, the District operates and enforces technology protection measures(s) that monitor and track online activities on its computers used and accessible to adults and students so as to filter or block inappropriate matter on the Internet. Inappropriate matter includes visual, graphic, text and any other form of obscene, child pornography, or other material that is harmful to minors, hateful, illegal, defamatory, harassing and violent. Measures designed to restrict adults’ and minors’ access to material harmful to minors may be disabled to enable an adult to access bona fide research or for another lawful purpose.
1. Control of access by minors to matter harmful to minors on the Internet and World Wide Web
2. Safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications.
3. Prevention of unauthorized online access by minors, including “hacking” and other unlawful activities.
4. Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors.
5. Restriction of minors’ access to materials harmful to them.
Students may use the Internet in instructional areas where there is a teacher or staff supervision. Teachers may allow students to use the Internet in the following ways:
1. Directed searches
Teachers may work directly with small groups of students or with an entire class. Internet access will be limited to those sites approved by the teacher and previewed in advance.
Use of directed searches does not require parental permission since the Internet sites will be screened in advance by the teacher. Teachers will be responsible for reviewing the Internet policy and procedures with students prior to any directed searches.
2. Independent Searches
Students shall only access material that is of educational value. Students wanting to use the Internet for independent educational searches must also meet the following criteria:
a. Students must have received Internet training where Internet safety, proper Internet behavior and Methacton’s Acceptable Use Policy have been discussed.
b. A listing of students not authorized to use the Internet will be distributed to all staff in a manner deemed appropriate by the administration.
c. Students are not presently issued Internet e-mail accounts. Educational use of the Internet e-mail can be accessed through the classroom teacher’s or specifically created group user account.
d. This policy will also be part of each school’s student-parent handbook.
Student and parent signatures on the student-parent handbook’s signature page will signify acceptance with the district’s Acceptable Use of the Internet Policy.
e. Students must have the signed form on file with their school.
P.L. 94-553
Sec. 107
P,L, 106-554
Sec. 1711,1721,
1732
PA Code
Title 22
Sec. 403.1
School Code – 24 P.S. Sec. 1303.1-A
Child Internet Protection Act – 24 P.S. Sec. 4601 et seq.
Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001 – 20 U.S.C. Sec. 6777
Internet Safety – 47 U.S.C. Sec. 254
Board Policy – 249, 814